There’s a new movement in the rustic genre and it’s headed-up by the ever popular succulent. A wee little plant that makes table settings seem earthier, bouquets a tad bit cooler and gives weddings a bump up on the crazy chic scale. Clearly, we are big ol’ fans of succulents and love how Mint Event Coordination & Design incorporated them into this Oregon affair. It’s layers of texture, loads of plantage and some great advice too all captured by Ruettgers Photography. See every last pretty image right here in the full gallery!
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From the Bride… Kenny and I got married on Sunday, September 4th, 2011, in Bend, Oregon. The city of Bend has great sentimental value to the two of us. My mother passed away in late 2009 after a very unexpected and very brief battle with cancer. One week after my mother’s death, the home that she and my father had been building in Bend was completed. As she never had the chance to see her final creation (my mother designed the house from floorboards to cabinet knobs), Kenny and I wanted to honor her by getting married in the city she fell in love with — we’d fallen in love with it, too. The night before our wedding, we held an informal “gourmet s’mores” event near the fire pit on our front lawn — Mom would’ve loved the array of toppings, the giant roasting sticks, the chai and the goody bags filled with treats from our respective home towns! Most of all, she would have loved the overwhelming sense of camaraderie and community that kick-started such a magical weekend.
We held our ceremony and reception at a gorgeous site on the outskirts of Bend — the Pronghorn Golf Club — and took full advantage of the high desert beauty by having everything outdoors. Our dear friends Elia and Maranatha, both incredibly talented musicians and filmmakers, played and sang the processional and recessional music. We wrote our wedding script from start to finish, and my godparents — in whose home Kenny proposed — were our officiants. Their daughter, my best childhood friend, was our “ring bearer.” We handmade ribbon wands for each guest to wave after our celebratory smooch and also offered a basket full of kazoos for the more noisy celebrants! (A few out-of-state guests broke into a most memorable rendition of “When the Saints Go Marching In” — one for the record books.) Guests then had a chance to play croquet and horse shoes or enjoy cocktails and appetizers before dinner, which we served on Pronghorn’s beautiful wraparound outdoor patio.
A dear friend of ours designed all of the centerpieces: Patti (with the help of her darling and energetic husband, John) started growing succulents the day we got engaged. She planted the succulents in boxes she built from foam core and decoupaged with scraps of old maps, leaves, and patterned paper — they were truly works of art, and many people carted them home, despite the grumblings of TSA! She also sewed all of the table runners, using trim, fabric scraps and bits of lace that she gathered during her years as an art teacher. We collected glass vases, jars, and candlesticks in every size and shape to decorate the table tops and chose a palette of cream, black, and beige, accented by all of the succulents and greenery that Patti nurtured in her northern California garden. We also collected small glass and clay birds, painted them cream, and nestled them amidst the table settings. I purchased many of these items (including twinkle lights for the dance floor) at post-Christmas clearance sales at Target! Allison from Mint Floral Design did an AMAZING job accenting the succulents with flowers, mosses and an array of delicate pods and reeds. My sister, Laura, is an illustrator and graphic designer, and she designed all of our beautiful paper products. On each dinner table, we placed blank notebooks labeled with different questions for guests to answer and pass around: “Describe a fun $20 date,” “What should we do for our 25th wedding anniversary?”, “What’s your funniest memory of us?” The written responses (and illustrations) were some of the best gifts we received!
My youngest sister, Emily, helped plan a “gourmet homestyle menu” that incorporated both my southern origins (I grew up overseas, but my parents are born-and-bred New Orleanians) and Kenny’s southern California upbringing. A seven-piece band from Portland (complete with cowbell!) played all night long — they even let my stepsister take the stage to lead the band in a from-the-heart cover of Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin'” that nearly tore down the house. Someone thought to resuscitate the ribbon wands, and the dance floor was an amazing flurry of color. As additional entertainment, we had built our own photo booth and equipped it with props we’d collected for months before the wedding.
Everyone says that this day of commitment is one of life’s most memorable–we truly felt immersed in cinematic magic, and have so many people to thank. Among the most significant are Sara (Mint Event Coordination & Design) and Heesyun (and her wonderful husband, Paul of Ruettgers Photography), our wedding planner and photographer, who kept us sane and grounded throughout the journey. If the couple brings the love, Sara executes the party with care and finesse, and Heesyun captures it with grace and just the right amount of fun. And that’s exactly what happened.
Wedding Photography: Ruettgers Photography / Wedding Venue + Catering: Pronghorn Resort in Bend, Oregon / Wedding Coordination + Design: Sara of Mint Event Coordination & Design / Floral Design: Allison Schultz of Mint Floral / Succulents: Friends of the Couple / Officiants: Lynn & Ernie Prochaska (Godparents of the Bride) / Wedding Invitations: Laura Brown (Sister of the Bride) / Entertainment: Pressure Point Band / Table + Chair Rentals: O’Brien Events / Wedding Dress: Nicole Miller / Bride’s Engagement Ring: Designed by the Groom + Made by NGY Jewelry / Bride’s Hair: Cherie Krey (Cousin of Bride) of Headlines Salon / Bride’s Makeup: Amber Sandberg of Boom Boom Beauty Room / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Max & Cleo + Ralph Lauren / Groom’s Attire: Cosmo Circle Custom Tailor Co.